It would be a big mistake if Israel occupied the Gaza Strip again, US President Joe Biden said in an interview broadcast on Sunday.
Asked on CBS’s “60 Minutes” whether he would support any Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip, Biden said: “I think that would be a big mistake.”
The group “Hamas”, which launched a large-scale attack on Israel on October 7, “does not represent the entire Palestinian people”, the president said.
But an invasion and “dislodging the extremists” is a “necessary condition”, he added.
Israel occupied the Gaza Strip during the 1967 Six-Day War, but in 2005 it was completely handed over to the Palestinians.
A year later, Israel launched an air, sea and land blockade of 362 square kilometers of the Mediterranean coast, which also shares a border with Egypt.
Israel strengthened the blockade in 2007, when Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip from the Fatah movement of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Asked if Hamas, which Biden has described as a “bunch of cowards,” should be eliminated entirely, the US president said: “Yes, I think so.”
“But there has to be Palestinian self-government. There has to be a path to a Palestinian state,” Biden said, reiterating the US position on a two-state solution.
Journalist Scott Pelley also asked if Biden sees the prospect of US troops going to war.
“I don’t think it’s necessary,” Biden replied.
“Israel has one of the best fighting forces in the country. I guarantee that we will provide them with everything they need,” the US president said.
Joe Biden. Photo: Joe Biden. Photo: EPA/Scanpix
2023-10-16 17:18:24
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